Tag Archives | Law Enforcement

Greater Manchester Police arrested a man who put on a pig mask, toy helmet and reflective jacket in order to perform “comical parodies” about the behavior of law enforcement officials.

New Moston man Steven Peers was arrested on suspicion of impersonating a police officer after he put on the costume to call attention to how GMP officers conducted themselves during anti-fracking protests.

The 46-year-old was arrested after being stopped by an officer outside a police station.

“My reaction to being arrested was total disbelief. I was wearing a toy hat and a pig mask and was arrested for impersonating a police officer. It’s ridiculous,” Peers told the Manchester Evening News. “If they want to take it to court they will be a laughingstock because there is no substance to it whatsoever.”

This is the first I’ve ever heard of it, but apparently clarithromycin, an antibiotic sold under the brand name Biaxin can cause psychosis, agitation, mania and delirium in about 3% of patients. Maybe Officer Colas has a case.

Via

A Virginia Beach police officer who was jailed for three months after stabbing two Accomack County firefighters and shooting at a third says there should have been warning labels on an antibiotic that briefly turned him psychotic.

A lawyer for Officer Bradley Colas recently filed a federal lawsuit seeking more than $75,000 from Abbvie, Inc. and Abbot Laboratories. The suit contents the drug maker knew that, in some cases, its popular antibiotic Biaxin has triggered psychotic episodes. But the lawyer says there were no warnings on the prescription.

In March, 2012, Colas started taking Biaxin for bronchitis. The lawsuit says after a few doses, Colas began to believe he was a prophet with special religious powers.

On February 25 at 5:59 a.m., the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department, Salinas Police Department and the FBI orchestrated the simultaneous arrests of six King City police officers. Included in the apprehensions for corruption charges were former Police Chief Nick Baldiviez, acting Police Chief Bruce Miller and his civilian brother Brian Miller.

Targeting Hispanic residents, Sgt. Bobby Carrillo allegedly received a free vehicle for every 10-15 cars he had impounded. Monterey County District Attorney Dean Flippo believes Sgt. Carrillo received at least five vehicles and gave one to acting Police Chief Bruce Miller, who was Carrillo’s captain at the time.

At a press conference, District Attorney Flippo stated, “The victims were economically disadvantaged persons of Hispanic descent who were targeted by having their vehicles impounded, towed and stored by Miller’s Towing.”

The owner of Miller’s Towing, Brian Miller, is the brother of acting Police Chief Bruce Miller. After forced to wait 30 days, the owners of the confiscated vehicles found themselves unable to pay the exorbitant impound fees and their cars turned over to California’s King City police officers.… Read the rest

Manuel Longoria led police on a lengthy chase in a stolen vehicle before they managed to box him in. After being blasted with several less-than-lethal beanbag rounds, Longoria appears to try reach into, or re-enter his vehicle. At that point, the man appears to turn his back to the police and raise his hands in the air. That’s when two lethal rounds were fired into his back. Warning: The video is graphic, and you may want to skip it.

Pinal County, Arizona- Police shoot another unarmed man to death. Manuel Longoria had turned away and raised his arms mere moments before an officer fired into him. A week later that officer is back to work. The video included below contrasts with the explanation given by police.

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said it investigated the shooting. That investigation found the officer’s use of force justified. But that was before the video taken by an onlooker surfaced.

Mike Masnick noticed that the declared primary role of the FBI has changed and details his findings at Techdirt:

A couple years ago, it was revealed that the FBI noted in one of its “counterterrorism training manuals” that FBI agents could “bend or suspend the law and impinge upon the freedoms of others,” which seemed kind of odd for a government agency who claimed its “primary function” was “law enforcement.” You’d think that playing by the rules would be kind of important. However, as John Hudson at Foreign Policy has noted, at some point last summer, the FBI quietly changed its fact sheet, so that it no longer says that “law enforcement” is its primary function, replacing it with “national security.”

Of course, I thought we already had a “national security” agency — known as the “National Security Agency.” Of course, while this may seem like a minor change, as the article notes, it is the reality behind the scenes.

Disclaimer: Exercise of your rights may result in bodily injury and sudden, inexplicable loss of security footage, frame-ups, and contortionist acts of handcuffed in the backseat of a patrol car suicide or incarceration. Would-be exercisers of rights are strongly encouraged to do so in the presence of witnesses and on camera. Not responsible for seized cameras, destroyed footage and witness intimidation. Minorities are strongly urged to exercise extreme caution when exercising their rights

Over the past few weeks 100 Houston police employees have been given wearable body cameras. The head of their outfit – Charles McClelland – said that, “in trying to be accountable to the public, and being open and transparent, we’re very excited about this” and listed as benefits a lessening of citizen complaints, more convictions in court, better attitudes adjusted on both sides of the camera, and an officer safety enhancement as the video can be used for training purposes. But are body cams a step in the right direction or just the latest attempt to try to maintain authority?

As 90% of police interactions happen away from the area captured by dash cams, McClelland noted that that these body cams will make moot that need.

Police and paramedics in Millvale, Pa., were recorded on video laughing as they repeatedly stunned a handcuffed and mentally-ill man as he pounded his head against the side of a desk. The video–predictably–ended up on YouTube, and the police officers involved became targets of an FBI investigation and a federal lawsuit.

Just saying it out loud, it’s the first step toward healing. Lucero knows that for sure now, and he says it repeatedly—cut her face up—and each time he feels lighter, a load off his heart, his pounding, suffering heart. The love of his life, she walked away laughing.

The hit man has ice blue eyes that don’t wander, don’t shift or pierce with disdain. “So you don’t want her dead, you want her scarred up?”

“Yeah,” Lucero says. “For all the money she took from me. All the money I gave—I gave her the world. And I got this back?